Good evening everyone! Just a couple personals tonight, since I need to get to bed.

Cyn - glad you finally found out. Yes, they usually do take it out, and I think you will feel a lot better afterwards. Congrats on signing the lease!

Ratkity - does she have a restraining order or a protection order? Protection orders usually give you the option to get your personal belongings out with a civil standby (where the police, sheriff's dept, whatever is there to make sure nothing bad happens basically). If she hasn't already, she might want to get in touch with a local domestic violence help center. If she's not sure where one is, let me know (and let me know where she's at) and I will look it up in our resource book. In the mean time, try to take care of you, too. You can't help others if you are too run down to help yourself. *hugs*

Kayley - Your classes actually sound fun, but then I work in a legal environment. I'm sure you will be great! Don't worry about failing - it's not an option :D

Hbieber - Happy Anniversary! And congrats on someone noticing you've lost weight.

As for me, I am hanging in there. Still doing okay with food but not fantastic. I am working on it though. I need to call it a night, so I'm sorry to those of you I missed.

Brandnew,

I think it's a restraining order. I'll have to ask. She's in Raleigh NC. What's really hard is that this guy has friends in the sheriff's dept.

I just want to sleep through all of this and am contemplating taking today off just to do that.

Hugs,
Ratkity

Good Morning all.

just came here to say good morning and a quick hi to all the ladies as im getting ready to head out the door to my moms we are going over to visit with some cousins of ours so i will exercise tonight after i get home so i will talk to you guys later

ps tonight is hamburger on the grill yummmmm

Heather

Good morning! After an overslept day yesterday, I am back on my game today.

We grilled tuna last night and had tuna burgers for dinner. Totally yumm-o. Planning leftover spaghetti tonight (multigrain/whole wheat mix and ground pork instead of beef in the spag sauce) because it will be a late night for both hubby and I. Tomorrow night - grilled salmon and steamed veggies (one of my absolute favorite meals).

Even though my shoulder is KILLING me - I slept on it funny Tuesday night and the kink just hasn't worked itself out yet - I still did my upper body strength training today AND I did day 1 of the Week 2 program for Couch-to-5k. I was able to do the whole thing, I was so amazed with myself. It took 3 times to be able to complete week 1. Maybe I'll progress to week 3 on time! Now granted, my "run" is really a fast walk with knees picked up to look like running, but hey - my cardio is improving and my enduance is too, so I'll take the small win.

Tomorrow is my first meeting with the new trainer (I saw one when I first joined the gym in June and then again in July) - he's uber qualified (he's actually a chiropractor AND he has a PhD in physiology - so he's a Doctor-Doctor). I am VERY nervous about this. Even though I'm pretty healthy for a fat girl, there are still limits to what I can do without getting frustrated. I hope he has some experience with my kind of weight loss, because if not, I will have to either go back to my original trainer (who was nice, but actually was TOO easy on me) or find a new one. I will not let that kind of frustration trip me up.

Ok - I slacked off big time yesterday and have **** to pay to make it up today, so have a great day guys, and I'll check in again as I have time later.

Sus

morning all...

Thanks KAYLEY!!!!!! For showing my how to upload pics!!!

I finally uploaded the pics of the handquilt I am making in the photo page.

Kaykey your little kitten is adoarable!!!!

Hi Ladies, just got home from work we have storms brewing in. Wish me luck I just applied for a better paying job at something I love to do...so hopefully I'll get it I worked for the company before, but left as they were laying off in one area and didn't want to relocate to another state , but now they are putting the area of the job I want here in my hometown.

I'm just going to do one big personal message, Good Job everyone, keep up the good work, Things will get better. Sorry I had to do it this way but have a ton of things to do before work tomorrow.

Worked the AC/DC concert last night. Last count I heard was 65,000 in attendance, all of who ate in my concession stand. Almost 8 hours of non-stop cooking. I left before the main band took the stage, and we had already sold $20,000 worth. We sold every french fry in the place. 30 big sacks. 18 cases of burgers. When we left, it had started to rain a little out, so the concourse was packed with drunks. The amount of beer spilled was mind boggling. I haven't seen anything like that since college. I may never want to eat another hot dog as long as I live. Himself was so tired, he is still asleep. I'd check to see if he was awake, but I can hear him snoring.

Evening all,

Kayley: I have always been interested in water sports but since I gained so much weight I let my body stop me dead in my tracks from getting involved. I finally decided to just do it. I love it and need to be around it so I am just going for it.

Cyn: Glad that things are okay for now on the health front. Congrats on signing the lease on your home.

Beth: Hang in there and take one day at a time. Believe me I gave up more times than I can cont just feeling like I didn't have the will power but somthing slipped and here it came. Hang in there honey.

Rat: Hugs. So glad to see you. Sorry about the stress levels.

Heather HB: happy anniversary. Glad that you had a lovely day.

Brandnewme: Keep on pluggin away and keep on coming back here hon. I miss you when you are gone seriously.

Well, I went to get my Bod Pod reading today and I was soooo upset. My fat content went up but my weight went down. I cried and said how is that possible and my Dr explained to me that as I continue to lose the weight the bod pod can't differenciate between extra skin and fat so it says it is fat in reality it is probably extra skin. I felt a bit better but honestly there is not much I can do about all this extra skin except surgery that I can't afford so It kind of was a depressing day.

I then went to my regular Dr. She was very firm with me about my believe that I can make my panic disorder/agoraphobia/social anxiety go away just be being stronger. She said I wouldn't expect a diabetic to be strong enough to make diabetes to go away and I certainly shouldn't expect my disorder to magically go away because I am a strong person. She put me on some different medication to help deal with it and is writing a letter of reasonalble accomadation for my work to lower my working hours until the meds get into my system and my coping skills build that I am learning at therapy. I will see what they say about it. Who knows. I need the job but I can't be at work passing out from stress. Hopefully they will be able to accomodate me some.

That is about all the news from here for now.

Blessings all,
Annie

Today, Andrew & I went down to Stay Fit 24, and looked into a membership; they’re giving us a free week trial, and they will also let us join under the spouse membership, so I would only have to pay an extra $20 a month, instead of the $35 a month for a single membership. We’re doing the free membership for the week, because why not? And then we’ll make our decision. I really like the fact that it’s open 24 hours. Big draw to me, as when I was a member of a gym before, sometimes I couldn’t make it during their regular business hours. Got in 90 mins today; got on the elliptical, treadmill, and strength training for 30 mins a piece. Feeling good! :)

Annie – Have you been on anxiety meds before at all? I know a couple of different meds that have really helped some friends of mine with their horrible anxiety. I hope that you are able to overcome this, though. I wouldn’t wish those kinds of episodes on anybody. :(

evening ladies...

I went to the cardiologist today. he said everything looks good with my heart. He said since I am big breasted that I have something..sorry cant remember but basically where the camera has a hard time getting a clear picture. He wants to see me in 6 months just as a follow up. I am staying on the beta blockers beause they ahve helped lower my blood pressure. He said that once i lose weight and my blood pressure is normal..I can go off them. I told him about my gallbladder. He said that if they remove it, it should make me feel better.

Hubby replaced my battery and starter in my car today. that was $160 bucks we werent planning on spending. But that is the way it goes.

I did get 5 more boxes packed up this weekend. I am getting excited to move.

Annie-It was very difficult for me to acknowledge that I needed to be on the medication. Just about as hard as it was for me to accept that I needed to use my crutch for the rest of my life. I wasn't sad, so I didn't need an anti-depressant. The fact that I had panic attacks, and no energy was just something I needed to get over. That would be as likely to just get over having big feet. Not going to happen. I'm stuck with the big feet, the crutch, and the medication.

Hi everyone!! I just wanted to say that I'm going out of town for a few days, so you all need to behave while I'm gone! :lol:

I'll be out of town until Wednesday, so someone needs to start the new thread Monday (anyone is free to start it any week!). I may be able to peek in, but it's a vacation so I might not!!

Good Morning all...today was weigh in day and i lost 2.1 lbs so i was able to officially change my avatar to 25 lbs lost plus i was surprised when i came on this morning that i was able to put a ticker on here yippeee that made my day!

Well, hope everyone has a good friday i gotta go do my 5 mile walk now so i will be back later!

Heather

Hi gals - well I survived the trainer today. Actually he really just wanted to sit down and get to know me (free of charge), so there wasn't much in the way of work-out. We reviewed my exercise plan, my log of how long I worked out and what my heart rate was, my food log, my medical records, my body fat/lean body mass composition report that I had done when I first joined the gym 2 months ago, and just talked about my goals and what I hope to get out of a trainer. He gave me big kudos for all the work I had done (research, logs, etc.) and said that he was excited to work with someone as committed as me (of course I like him already). He's supposed to review my records and then get back to me next week with some times to meet with some changes to my strength training. He's going to push me, but I think in a good way. I feel like maybe I have a shot at avoiding at least some of the sagginess that comes with this kind of weight loss. He's also totally supportive of my need to see him only once a month - so that was a relief.. I can't really afford more than that, and I was afraid he might question my "dedication" to the training - but his philosophy is that unless you need someone to hold your hand thru the workout just to get you to do it, there's really no need to see a trainer more than once a month - just to review form and change up the routine.

Anyway - a successful week. 2.5 lbs down. I also did my measurements - and in the last 3 weeks my waist has decreased 1.5 inches. I feel like I should start seeing the difference in my clothes pretty soon - actually the pants I wore today were really baggy and I think they may need to be retired, so that's a good thing :)

Anyway - wanted to send out some personal messages


Jacquie- Thanks for the tip on the eggplant - sounds like you might have some great cooking tips for me! Sorry about the hormone war-zone, that just sucks alot.

hb - congratulations on moving to the next avatar! I'm waiting for my clothes to look baggy on me - they must've all been too tight before, because I'm not seeing the need to buy a new size yet.

Bazz - at least you're still here - remember it's only failure if you fail to pick yourself up when you fall down. You can get there, but it's a constant push. Let us help you stay motivated!

Kayley - I'm envious that you're in school mode. Even if it means living at home! I'm with you on the chef thing, If I won the powerball or something, I might go to culinary school - not to work in a restaurant but just to learn! Also - YAY on the gym thing - as much as you work out, I'm thinking you'll love it.

Ratkitten- That situation with your sister is super stressful - I don't know how well I'd do in the face of something like that. But like the other gals have said, be sure to take care of yourself - you won't be any use to anyone if you're run down. *hug*

Catherine - I'm new here, but do you normally work the concession stand at concerts, or was it one of those volunteer deals? I can only imagine what a zoo that was! I went to a Kid Rock & Lynrd Skynrd concert that was pure CHAOS of drunkenness.

dogpal - Hopefully the new meds will get things under control - I'm glad to hear that your doc is willing to try different things. I hope you can get back to your job quickly and calmly!

Cyn - when you get the word on the gallbladder? and WAY TO GO on the good 'ticker'. where are you moving to? (Sorry new here)

Ok, happy weekend everyone!

I’ve been having trouble the last couple of days getting in my calories. I’ve only been able to manage 1,100 both yesterday and today. I eat a good lunch & dinner, but I just don’t EAT a lot, and I don’t like to eat when I’m not hungry.

I’ve exercised everyday for the past three weeks, and today, I just woke up incredibly sore. I think the gym took it out of me. I’m not used to going to a gym, since I haven’t had a membership at one since back in March of this year. So, I took today off, and hopefully my calves will be up for a workout tomorrow after class.

Susannah – That’s great news about the trainer. I’ve always wanted to get a few sessions with a trainer, because I’m sure it would help. Strength/Weight training will definitely help with the saggy skin issue. I’m kind of worried about that myself. With 200 lbs to lose, there will be a lot of skin left over! I’m just hoping that since I do weight training & I’m still young (23), that I can maybe not have quite as much.

And congrats on the weight lost & inches, too! I do my measurements every month, because even if the scale doesn’t move, the inches keep coming off (at least in my experience). You seem pretty prepared, so I’m sure you already have, but do you have your before pictures, so that you can compare down the road, to see your progress?

I’m so OVER school. lol. I’ve been going for so long, I just want my degree already! I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now, so I just have to keep chugging along…

Dog my prayers are with you I too sometimes have anxiety attacks and there I times I do not want to leave the house, I have just been diagnosed with depression...

Kayle yes it does seem as if getting the degree will never get there but it will.

Susanna , the trainer sounds like it might work for you.

HB way to go girl

Baz hang in there.

Cyn good job on the report.

As for me I didn't considered for the job as I worked there before but in a different department and had quit ah well. I figured as much I lost a inch off my waist and one off my bust, the scale is stuck on 298 am trying to figure out if it's TOM which as I thought it was, and I haven't changed my eating at all....so I'm blaming TOM LOL

Good Moring all... well last night my husband and i went shopping at walmart i told him since he bought me a food scale for our anniversary that he could pick something out and since his mom and dad gave us a gift card for groceries i had a little bit extra so i decided to reward myself for almost 30 lbs lost ( i never ever buy myself anything i dont remember the last time i bought myself anything because i usually have to use my money to buy groceries and pay bills) well the bills were paid and we had the grocery card so ryan said that i should get myself a treat for losing almost 30 lbs so i said ok well i was gonna buy a couple of tops in a smaller size but i couldnt really find any that i liked so to make a long story short i bought myself an exercise ball and it comes with a 30 minute workout dvd.

Sorry to ramble but now i am going to go do a 3 mile walk and then do my new 30 min exercise ball workout so i will be back later to let you know how it went.

talk to you soon
Heather

Happy Saturday all...

Today is my cousin Jordie (real name Jordan but we call him Jordie cause his dad's name is also Jordan) turns 3 today. So this afternoon we are heading to his party. Before that I am going to do some major packing. I brought home about 15 boxes from work. That should cover my hopechest things and my walk in closet.

Kayley: I can't wait to get my quilt done as well. I have 2 others I have started but this one I am finishing first.

Heather: Have a great vacation..we will behave!

Susanna: We are moving on September 9th. We are moving to Scottsdale. We live in Peoria..which is about 35 miles from my job. Most of my family lives in the "east valley" and we live way over on the westside. It really sucks living so far from them. It takes me atleast an hour to get to work and home unless I am carpooling. So on the weekends I usually am a hermit because the gas and time it takes to go anywhere. Thiscity is just so darn crowded from when I was a kid. My brother lives in a big ole house with his boss. His boss is moving out and we are moving in and renting from him. My brother will stay there as well. He has a roomo up above the garage that has everything he needs. My oldest son starts college right down the street from my brother in a week. So that wil be nice. Also our youngest son will go to a new high school..which scares me BUT it is an awesome high school. They don't have the "gang" problems that we currently have on the westside. If you listen to the news here all the shooting. crime take place where I live! I HATE IT. The house is more $$ then we pay now. BUT I will be 15 min from work...and I dont have to even get on the freeway! Also I am 15 min from my sister and niece and nephew. We plan to stay there atleast 3 years til my youngest is out of highschool. Then we would like to move to Colorado. Also my sons girlfriend is pregnant and she lives that way..so I will get to see my first grandchild more!! All in all its the best choice for us.

Annie: thinking of you today..(HUGS)

cyn- Your quilt will be AMAZING!! I love to sew but have never tackled a quilt. I am going to do a bit of sewing today. I have some baby tagie to finish up and give as gifts this weekend.

I am happy to report a 1lb loss. Its not alot but its something and is slowly taking me back towards my lowest.
hugs to all

Good morning...i did my 3 mile walk and i did 15 of the 30 mins of my new exercise ball workout and i absolutely loved it! I can feel that my arms, upper back, and abs are a little bit sore from the work out but its all good right?

I also have a NSV to share..i decided to try one of the 2X tops that my MIL gave me about 2 years ago and it actually fits and it fits pretty well its not tight at all soo i am sitting here wearing it! the only thing is that i wish it was a little bit longer and covered up my second stomach so to speak but it doesnt look to bad cause that second stomach is slimming down so it looks pretty good and i feel good wearing it! So, im gonna spend the afternoon while hubby is at work and im gonna go thru my clothes bins that are full of clothes i havent been able to wear to see what i can fit into so i will be back later and let you know how it goes!

Susanna-My church is a poor inner city one, so we do lots of fundraiser things. We run a concession stand at the Edmonton Eskimos stadium. That's Canadian football, so it starts its season in June. When there are other things at the stadium like concerts or soccer games, we do those too. We made $30,000 for the church last summer, and that is about 1/2 of our yearly budget. My husband and I don't make that much money, so we donate our time to supplement the small amount of money that we can donate. My mom did some catering, and concession stand stuff for all our sports teams. We all played something year round, so I feel like I have been working them my whole life. I think I was six when I first worked the concession at our church's bingo. I guess that's why they turned over management of the kitchen to me. That booth never made more than $3400 before I took it over, now it averages $15,000. We made over $25,000 at the concert. It was raining during the main band, so we sold trash bags as ponchos for $15 each. I guess I should go to confession over that one.

HELLOOOOOO =D

Thank you everyone sooo much for your support - you're all amazing! Food is my only comfort at the moment but I am determined to get back on track starting Monday :} I bought some ice-cream and chocolate today, knowing that I won't be having them for a long time so I'd better savour them. Mmm. I really love Ben&Jerry's - my favourite is Cookie Dough, mmm! Sorry if I'm tempting you girls ;)

My mother (AmmiUK) bought a WW scale today - it's well cool! It calculates your body weight as well as BMI, water weight and body fat. I think it would help me loads because if I gain a few pounds due to water weight, I know I will have lost weight or stayed the same according to the body fat. Woohoo! I'm not looking forward to Monday but it will have to happen soon enough. Otherwise, I'll be seriously overweight with several health problems. Wouldn't want that :/

Thank you again, girls!
xx

Kayley: Good job on all the exercise at the gym. I hope you like it and it works for you. Yep, I have been on panic disorder meds a lot. Hoping this one will work. I think it is just not knowing about work right now. I need to do some calming exercises.

Cyn: Great that the cardiologist went well. I can hear your excitment a lot about your move. I can't wait for you to get settled and you will be so happy in your new place.

Catherine: Yep, I need to except the facts. lol.

Heather: Have a lovely vacation.

HeatherHB: Congrats on the -2.1 pounds and the new top fitting. I am so happy for you. I had tons of clothes and it was like Christmas when I could fit into them again and then pass them by and give them away. I wish you the very best. What a wonderful choice of a treat you made too at Walmart in the exercise ball and video.

Susannah: Congrats on the -2.5 pounds!

Tracy: So sorry that you are having some depression. Hugs.

Debi: Congrats on the -1 and hi there! I have missed you hon. How is hubby doing?

Beth:How exciting a new ww scale. That is kind of like the ones I weigh on at the DR. I mean, they are wayyyy more expensive and measure lots more but it is nice to see your water content too. Best wishes on your new food program come Monday. Please tell your Mom hi and send her my love and tell her I will email her soon as possible.

I just worked out on the elliptical for only 15 minutes. I am so dizzy from the meds my Dr. wanted me to try this weekend. I will try again tonight but if I feel the same way on Sunday morning I will not be taking them again. When I move my head anyway but straight up I get so dizzy. Well, more dizzy than normal. lol.

I have a pork tenderloin in the crock pot for dinner and it smells very good. I am going to try to write down everything I eat today to be sure I get 1200 calories at least. The dietician says that could very well be why I am stuck at this weight. Hopefully she is right.

Blessings all,
Annie

OMG girls im so excited!:carrot:

I just got done going thru 3 bins of clothes that havent fit me in a long time they are mostly 2X tops and a couple 1X tops but today when i went thru my bins all of my 2X tops fit!! some of them are not as long as i would like lenthwise but i will still wear them-im actually wearing one right now plus i found a nightgown that is brand new that is a 2X that my MIL bought me for xmas a couple of years ago but it was too tight for me to wear so tonight im gonna wear it it fits me perfectly so now i have 2 whole bins in my closet full of 2X tops that i can wear till next spring! i feel like i have gone shopping but didnt spend any money! Im super excited just had to tell you guys!

Heather

Hello Annie!
I know what you mean - but we didn't want a fancy scale with loads of measurements but it's really nice to be able to see the measurement of our body fat and water content. My mam just paid £20 for it from Tesco. Bargain!!
I will tell mam that you said hi :) I will make sure she comes back on here soon - or I will personally drag her on here, haha ;)

Hope everyone is having a good weekend!
xx

Hi All,
I haven't been posting much but I keep up with the thread. I have been wearing one of those armband metabolism sensors that records calories burned. It said I expended approx 3200 yesterday doing nothing but housework and sitting at the computer which is pretty much my average day except I ride my recumbent bike for 20-30 mins most days. With this information in hand, I think that I will try to target my calorie intake at 2000 a day. I have had the toughest time trying to find a calorie level that works for me. I don't know if this armband is worth anything but I was desperate enough to buy one. Time and the scale will tell.

ANNIE: Sorry to hear about your severe anxiety attacks. I have been suffering from generalized anxiety and OCD since childhood. I take Lexapro, Abilify and Klonopin and they do help. My main side effect is dizziness upon standing if I have been sitting for a while. I really hope that you find a med that works well for you. I had to go through quite a few to find a decent combination.

Happy Weekend to all of the boardies far and near!
Pennie

Today, I didn't go to the gym again. I feel kind of bad for not going, but my calves are still killing me, and even walking up the stairs at school was kind of painful...a good pain, but still! I almost took the elevator, but I didn't, and just went up the three flights of stairs. I figured I had better just take the day off, rather than to push myself to go to the gym, and end up hurting myself even more. But it's back tomorrow for me. I miss working out already!

I tend to eat...not badly when I'm at my boyfriend's house, but more than I usually do, since I don't have snacks here. So I went to the store, and stocked up on Yogurt & Apples, so I'm set. :)

Heather hb – Glad you enjoyed your stability ball workout! It’s great for core, crunches, etc. At my old gym, I took a 60 minute stability ball exercise class, and it definitely kicked my butt! Congrats on the clothes fitting! :) That’s always such a great feeling. I notice that my tops are always too short as well, so I wear under shirts. I pretty much wear nothing but black, so I wear the black tank tops underneath, and it’s longer than the shirt, but you can’t even tell, because they are both black, and pretty much just blend in together.

dgramie – Congrats on the loss! A pound is a pound!! :)

Beth – I have a similar scale. It’s not WW brand, but it has those features and a few others. I love it! What plan are you going to be following?

Kayley
That's cool that you have a similar set of scales :} I'm not really sure, I'll probably follow WW because it's the only plan that I know well. I just use the points calculator to calculate how many points there is for certain food. I can follow a healthy diet without a specific diet plan but that would be kinda hard because I could go over the recommended daily calories and not know about it :/
Don't feel bad about not going to the gym again. You should be feeling proud of yourself! You managed to climb three flights of stairs when your calves were hurting. Well done for stocking up on yogurt and apples also :} I so wish I was as strong as you - that would be awesome!

I'm just relaxing this weekend and I'm enjoying a glass of Lambrini, mmm. Mind you, I am old enough to drink, hehe. I'm 18 and by law, 18 years old or over are allowed to drink alcohol. I've heard that you have to be 21 in the US! That's shocking :/
xx

Just got back from the football game. Sold lots of junk food. I wonder how many potential coronaries I contributed to.

Hello all just stopping in to say a quick hi.

Hello my Peeps!

I'm feeling a bit better today. I've had terrible reflux while waiting for my mail-in prescript to arrive. Zantac doesn't even touch it. Thank goodness for pepto or I'd never sleep. It finally arrived yesterday.. yay!

I feel like my cymbalta isn't working and the doc changed the script to lexapro, but I haven't started it. I guess I'm leary of changing.

I managed to get the lawn mowed and the basement mopped. I was drenched by the time I was done. I ran out of steam and didn't get the yard edged.

I haven't done much cycling this season. Mostly due to a lack of energy and motivation.

Catherine, I bet your church totally appreciates your efforts, especially since your profits went up 10x!!

Annie, hang in there. I wish we were closer. I bet we could swim away our stress together. I love the pool.

Hugs to everyone! Even my sweet lurkers. You know who you are.

Luv,
Ratkity

Annie: Tenderloin in the crockpot is great I hear. A friend at work makes it all the time. I have never thought to do that.lol. Yes I am excited to move.

Heatherb: How exciting!!!!!! Fitting into clothes you didn't think you could!! YEAH!!

Bazz: a WW scale sounds great! Tell your mom hello for me :)

Pennie: that armband thing sounds neat. I bet it will help ya.

Catherine: LOL!! It's amazing that people buy all that junk food huh? Good for the money..bad for the body lol

Tracyb: hello!!!

As for me: Went to my cousin's birthday party yesterday. He turned 3. There were so many people there! It was sooo HOT! I think it got up to 113 yesterday. I will be so glad when it starts cooling off. Did I mention I hate the heat...ugh! I was chuggin along yesterday...getting boxes packed. I think I got about 12 boxes packed and went to go pee and there he was TOM!!! He is early and heavy. I am not happy. So I am thinking he is going to start being irregular ...again. :( Today I will try and get more packing done.

Good Morning all..

kayleystar..yes i love my exercise ball i could really feel it yesterday when i got done and im gonna do it again tomorrow i plan on doing it every other day and for the first week i will probably do just one set of exercises which is 15 mins.

Azcyn...i know it felt like xmas almost going thru all those clothes and trying them on and looking in the mirror going wow it fits! and im thinking about all the xmas sweaters that i have that i will finally be able to wear again cause most of those are 2x and its been a couple of years since i have been able to wear them so im looking forward to that too!

As for me...today i did a 4 mile walk, took a shower, did the dishes, took out the garbage, and folded some laundry and then later when hubby gets home from work we are gonna bbq some polish sausage on the grill so im looking forward to that!

Well, have a great day talk to you soon
Heather
ps what do you guys think of this face pic of me from yesterday? I can really tell a difference in my face

Rat – I am doing some digging to find out a few options for your sister. I work at a domestic violence shelter here, and I have access to a few resources that other people probably don’t have. I will hopefully be able to PM you tomorrow evening after work, since I am waiting for a couple calls.

Heather hb – Congrats on being 27lbs down! That’s awesome! That’s a very lovely picture. I’m glad you’re already seeing a difference!

Sus – Congrats on -2.5lbs! It sounds like you have a trainer who is going to be easy to work with, and I’m glad he was willing to listen to you. I’ve had some bad experiences with trainers who think that because I am so overweight, I don’t know anything and they feel the need to dumb it down and/or make it very hard so they don’t have to deal with me anymore.

Cyn – That quilt is GORGEOUS! I’ve always wanted to be crafty but alas I am not very creative and I don’t have a lot of patience, so I will leave it to the more talented people ;) You’re smart to be packing ahead of time. I always seem to end up trying to pack everything the last couple nights before the move and then everything gets mixed up. Sounds like you guys made a great choice for your family! Glad the visit with the cardiologist went well.

Catherine – Have you ever thought about being a volunteer coordinator? Sounds like you guys do a fantastic job at getting everyone involved and getting everything lined up. We could sure use someone with your skills at our organization!

Kayley – I know the feeling when it comes to just wanting to be done with school. I have a ways to go yet, but I’m more than ready to get it over with. I keep having to take a break for various reasons (health, family, moving, whatever) and then it feels like I am starting all over again each time.

Heather – I know you won’t see this until you get back, but I hope you have (had) a fantastic time!

Debi – Congrats on losing a pound! How’s everything else going?

Annie – How are you doing this weekend? Hope you’re having a good weekend, and I hope you hear back from work about whether or not they will work with you to be able to work and not take on too much.

As for me.. still hanging in there. I went grocery shopping today and got lots of healthy goodies. I have been busy organizing and sorting old clothes that I can't wear anymore. I have tons of pants that are 24-26 or 26-28 that I can't wear because of my hips. I also have tons of shirts that don't fit me or don't fit very well. Most of them are fairly new, so it looks like my mom is going to be getting a new wardrobe.

My goals for the week are to eat *something* for breakfast every day, and pack my lunch every day except Wednesday. Wednesday is a co-worker's birthday and we are taking him to lunch, so my goal for that is to just find something healthy! I am also going to be joining a gym when I get paid, and my mom will be joining me since she is on a quest to get healthier too. Baby steps!

I also wanted to say that I have made the decision to have WLS. I am not sure which kind yet, and it is a ways out. I have to wait to see if insurance will cover it, and if not I will have to get my finances in order so I can get a loan. I realize it's not for everyone, but I think it is my best chance to have a "normal" life. And, in the mean time, I will continue working hard at being healthier and fighting my food demons.

Happy Sunday all,

HeatherHB: Congrats on the clothes fitting. I told you, It's like Christmas huh? lol. Your pictures is beautiful!

Beth: I wrote to your Mom. I hope she comes willingly. lol.

Pennie: Let us know how the armband thing goes. Best wishes with that. Thanks for the information on the meds you are taking. I will bring them up to my Dr.

Tracy: Hi there

Catherine: You always crack me up.

Kayley: Hope the calves feel better soon.

Rat: I wish we could swim together too. I think my Cymbalta isn't working either. I think it is because it is timed release and I don't have a tummy to let it sit and release anymore. I hope you are able to get something that works.

Cyn: Hugs to you and sorry TOm is so angry.

Brandnewme: Hi sweetie. Baby steps .

I weighed and I'm down to 211! I updated my tracker and am so excited about the possiblity of getting to 210 and hitting my next goal!

Tomorrow is the meeting with my boses so wish me luck.

Blessings all,
Annie

Wow..thanks everyone for your comments on my picture im starting to see a little bit of difference in my body but i see it more in my face.

My husband is soo sweet we were outside grilling and he told me that every day im looking better and better and that is sooo nice to hear! it made me feel really good and happy :) Now if i could just find a job grrrrrr! I have 19 weeks to find a job before my unemployment runs out cause then i will be really stressing out because after this one there is no more unemployment! My mom is suggesting that i look into welfare but dont you have to have a child to go on welfare does anyone know? Im hoping that it doesnt come to that but it has been over a year that i have been looking for a job and every time i think about that i think about how much weight i could have lost if i would have got on this ban wagon then instead of a year later instead of eating like crazy because i was depressed about losing my job and i still get depressed sometimes cause i really loved that job!

Dogpal- OMG you have lost almost 300 lbs! good going girl congratulations 1 more pound and you will be there!
Sorry to ramble i just needed to vent a little hope you ladies dont mind!

Well, have a good night
Heather

Got back to the gym today. My calves were much much better, and got in half an hour on the elliptical & 30 mins strength training on the weight machines. Mondays are my weigh-in days, but unfortunately, I won’t be able to weigh in tomorrow, since I’m not staying at my house this evening. So I’ll weigh in on Tuesday instead.

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Ratkitten – Good luck with the Lexapro. I know that the side effects are different with everyone, but it gave me night terrors. I would wake up literally screaming at the top of my lungs. It was horrible!

Cyn – Send us some of that warmth! ;) It’s been unseasonably cool here in Michigan lately.

Brandnewme – Good luck this week achieving your goals! What type of WLS have you decided on? I hope that your insurance will cover it!

Annie – That’s absolutely amazing! You are soooo close to -300 it’s spectacular!